Good morning. Buckle up, things are about to get … interesting.
It’s Tom Emmer’s turn in the GOP’s speaker grand prix. It’s a race with a lot of entrants but no sign of a finish line. The Minnesota Republican is seen as a top-tier contender, but there are nine total after the gavel. NPR has more on the state of the race. Emmer, currently the House majority whip, told colleagues in a letter this weekend that the GOP conference “remains at a crossroads and the deck is stacked against us.” He said he wouldn’t make promises to them he couldn’t fulfill. A House floor vote could come early in the week, but the first test will be in a private vote. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik is in Washington as the latest chapter unfolds.
One Democrat that Emmer could attract support from is fellow Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips. The third-term suburban lawmaker posted on social media yesterday that it would be great to have a Minnesotan serve as speaker, but he would need to pledge to “work with Democrats on a bipartisan path to end the nonsense.”
Phillips could have his own time in the limelight this week. As Mark reported for us on Friday , Phillips faces an end-of-week deadline to file for the New Hampshire primary ballot if he intends to seek the Democratic nomination for president. Phillips is reportedly setting the stage for an announcement in that state, which used to be at the front of the line in the primary season (Democrats are operating on a new calendar this cycle. Phillips would face daunting odds if he runs against incumbent President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination.
Closer to home, the state judicial system could weigh in this week on a challenge to Minnesota’s new law around restoration of voting rights to people with felony records. MPR’s Dana Ferguson has been tracking developments since a Mille Lacs County District Court judge moved to deny voting access to criminal defendants as part of sentencing hearings. The judge said lawmakers erred in passing the law this spring that gave people voting rights back once they are out of custody, regardless of whether other aspects of their sentences were complete. Public defenders, along with DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon, are challenging the ruling and say the judge overstepped his authority here. State appeals judges are expected to wade quickly into the dispute given the looming election.
Minnesota’s foray into legal marijuana continues to be filled with false starts and detours. MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan chronicles how a state development agency approved a multimillion-dollar loan to a company called HWY35 to house a major indoor growing facility in an old Grand Rapids wood products plant. It caught many by surprise and another state agency says it isn’t ready to sign off on the subsidy. Forecast: more twists ahead in this one. | 